CinemaBlind’s Review – 85%
A Million Miles Away is a feel-good drama film based on the autobiography of astronaut José Hernández titled Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut. The Prime Video film follows the story of Hernández from when he was a child and he came to the United States as a migrant farm worker with his parents. In his childhood, he saw the launch of Apollo 11, and from then on he harbored a dream of going into space. Throughout his life he overcomes a lot of hurdles first with the help of his family and then his wife in order to achieve his dream.
A Million Miles Away does justice to its inspirational story and puts forward a great film that will make you feel like anything is achievable if you work hard enough and that is the film’s best quality. The story and its characters all have a sweetness to them that makes them instantly likable to the audience and even in their ugly moments it makes us root for them.
While most of the film does an incredible job it does have some pacing issues and some jarring emotional shifts that might leave you scratching your head as to why the tone of the film had to be 1 to 100 in a single moment. But that criticism won’t carry much weight when you are actually watching and enjoying the film with your loved ones because the film is just that good. Screenplay writers Bettina Gilois, Hernán Jiménez, and Alejandra Márquez Abella do a good job of telling us a lifelong story in just two hours without making it feel cramped.
The inspirational film puts forward many brilliant performances but the absolute standouts were Michael Peña and Rosa Salazar in the roles of José Hernández and José’s wife Adela. The supporting cast also gave us great performances including Juan Pablo Monterrubio as young José Hernández, Sarayu Blue as Kalpana Chawla, Garret Dillahunt as Sturckow, Julio Cesar Cedillo as José’s father Salvador, Veronica Falcón as José’s mother Julia, and Eric Johnson as Clint Logan.
Director Alejandra Márquez Abella has to be congratulated for making the film as authentic to the culture as possible. The Prime Video film has a distinct voice and that makes it relatable to anyone watching from any part of the world which fits perfectly into the story of José Hernández.
In conclusion, CinemaBlind highly recommends A Million Miles Away for anyone who is interested in watching a feel-good inspirational film filled with charm and perseverance that will make you feel like there isn’t anything in this world that you can’t do.
Check out the official trailer and synopsis for A Million Miles Away below:
Inspired by the real-life story of NASA flight engineer José Hernández, A Million Miles Away follows him and his devoted family of proud migrant farm workers on a decades-long journey, from a rural village in Michoacán, Mexico, to the fields of the San Joaquin Valley, to more than 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station. With the unwavering support of his hard-working parents, relatives and teachers, José’s unrelenting drive & determination culminates in the opportunity to achieve his seemingly impossible goal. Acclaimed writer and director Alejandra Márquez Abella has created a dazzling tribute to the loyalty and tenacity of the entire Hernández family, as well as anyone who dares to dream.
Based on the book “Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farmworker Turned Astronaut” by José Hernández.